Page 44 of Penny & Royce

Royce shot to his feet, but he didn’t cross the suite. It would be far too easy for Penny to bolt from the room if she feltcornered. He needed to stay where he was and let her decide whether she wanted to come in.

The door opened, and Penny stepped inside.

Her eyes collided with his, but surprisingly, they weren’t red-rimmed or puffy. She didn’t even look angry like she had when she’d left the room.

She did, however, choose to remain standing by the door with her arms crossed as she studied him from where she stood.

“Hey, beautiful,” he murmured. “I’m glad you came back.”

“Well, my stuff is here, so…” She motioned to her belongings only feet from where he stood.

“Right.” He gripped the back of his neck. “Do I… should we…” Royce sighed. “Do you want me to take you home?”

It hurt to ask that question.

He didn’t want to take her back. He wanted to move forward with this harebrained idea of his. He wanted the chance to prove that what they had was real, even if everything about it looked reckless from the outside.

One of these days, he might need to start seeing a therapist himself just to make sure he wasn’t actually certifiable.

Penny frowned, and for a moment, he thought she’d agree it was for the best. But then she shook her head. “Can we talk?”

“Of course.”

He took a step toward her, then reconsidered and motioned to the bed as he sat on the edge. “Do you want to sit down?”

She eyed him, then the bed. Her shoulders relaxed, and she nodded. To his surprise, she only left a few inches between them.

“I’ll go first,” she said.

Royce nodded. There were far too many things running rampant in his head. He wasn’t sure any of them would come out in a coherent statement if she demanded that he explain himself.

Penny reached for his hand then, and he startled, staring at their connection with awe. She squeezed his hand, prompting him to look up at her.

“I think I understand why you kept your name a secret,” she said. “I don’t agree with it. Not even a little. But I can understand why you were afraid to say it.”

He blinked at her, shocked further into silence.

“That being said, I have questions. And conditions. If we’re going to move forward with this little…” One side of her mouth quirked upward. “Adventure of ours.”

He couldn’t believe it.

Was he dreaming, or was Penny actually admitting she still wanted to marry him?

“Of course,” he managed to blurt. “Whatever you want.”

That twitch of her lips turned into a full smile. “Okay. First, no more keeping secrets.”

He was nodding before she finished her sentence. “Never again.” Royce brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “I promise, I won’t keep anything important from you. If you have questions, you ask. I’ll answer.”

Her gaze sharpened slightly. “Not just if I know the right questions to ask.”

He stilled.

She was right.

He exhaled and nodded again, slower this time. “Not just if you ask. If something affects you, or us, you deserve to know.”

She studied him for another beat, then nodded, seemingly pleased with his answer.